What I was looking for:
I like riding real road bikes with quick handling and a fast feel. I specially like a bike that climbs well and takes off when I hammer the pedals. I do the occasional triathlon but I prefer long hilly road rides. One day I would like to try crits or other road race events. I had a Fuji Aloha in the past which was a good tri bike but not very fun to let loose on. I figured that a road geometry would be best for most of my riding and the “Slam” position for 1-2 Tri’s a year would be fine. I am 6’ and 160lbs so there was not much special to consider based on my size.
I test rode several great bikes in $2000-4000 (canadian) range. The ones I liked were the Soloist, Cannondale R5000, Specialized Roubaix and the R2.5. All were awesome frames with great racing histories.
The R5000 really is the best aluminum frame I have ridden. Great quality, nice wheels, Dura-ace, aggressive Cannondale ride with the rough edges taken off by the excellent design of the Caad8 rear triangle. A real deal at $3250cdn. I just didn’t want to change from the Campagnolo stuff otherwise I would be writing a post about the R5000.
The Roubaix Elite was equally impressive. The handling was great. The ride over rough pavement was unbelievable. I found myself looking for rough spots. The wheels were the weakspot in the offering. Alex 295 just did not transmit quick bursts of power to the pavement. With better wheels this would be an awesome bike.
I really liked the R2.5. It looks awesome. The carbon in the Chorus parts and the FSA crank really matched the weave graphics in the frame. It defined the upper end on my price range. Unfortunately finding a 56cm in town was likely going to be a painful experience. Riding is supposed to be fun. Waiting for a bike is not fun.
In the end I choose the Soloist Centaur. It was near the bottom of my price range (how often does that happen?). I tried to talk the LBS into swapping parts to make a Chorus version but in the end of the day it was just easier to go with a mainly stock Centaur setup. The main reason for choosing it was the fantastic ride and I like the idea that it can be setup in an efficient aero position. Since buying it I am thinking of doing another half Ironman next year and maybe a full Ironman in 2007. I am sure this bike will handle those well.
I made two upgrades: I did not like the stock Cervelo brakes. I road a 2 different Soloists and they both lacked the solid braking of my 4 year old Veloce brakes so I swapped them for a set of Centaur calipers. No regrets there. I also upgraded the Alpha Q Elios fork to an Easton EC90 Superlite. It was an odd decision because there was nothing really wrong with the Alpha but I’ll explain later.
Ride
The Soloist is a lot of fun to ride. It accelerates like it is on a mission. Pedal hard and you feel like it is going to go on it’s own if you don’t grab on. Climbing is a blast. Every bit of energy goes into the climb. The compact frame lets you move the bike underneath you without even thinking about where the top tube is. Some people say it is harsh but I have ridden it on several 100+km rides and I have no complaints. It is nothing like the Roubaix but I would not hesitate taking the Soloist on any ride, any distance, anytime. With that said, I have a set of Open Pro rims laced to Record hubs and I have to admit that they ride a lot better that the stock Easton Vistas. The Vistas are really good durable wheels and definitely look great on the bike but I find the Open Pros are a lot smoother without loosing anything in terms of acceleration and handling. They don’t looks as cool but if I could have only one set of wheels they would be the ones. I guess in the world of bike marketing 32 spoke wheels just do not sell bikes.
Frame:
The weld quality is good. I would say Cannondale does a better job of finishing but the Soloist is pretty solid. The tubing shape and frame design does everything it should. Stiff BB, excellent handling, decent amount of vibration absorption. Internal cable routing is very cool although one drawback to it is the lack of barrel adjusters. Mine was built without anyway of adjusting the front D. Very odd. I could install an inline adjuster into the shift cables up front. Does anyone else have a better solution? It hasn’t been a real issue so far.
The black anodized finish has been great. Not a scratch and the matte finish with the CSC team markings looks pro. I feel like Jens Voigt hammering at the L-B-L with that Vino guy riding my wheel. Except of course that he’s fast and I’m not. Otherwise it’s the same.
Fork
When the sales guy handed me the Easton EC90 I was sold. Very light, all carbon and Easton makes great composites. The Alpha didn’t really have the integrated look that a hidden headset frame/fork combo should have. The EC90 blends in much better. Mainly it was an emotional decision but I have heard that a fork can make a big difference in handling. I did not have a chance to ride much with the Alpha but high speed corners with the EC90 are really solid. The bike goes exactly where it is pointed (for better or worse I guess).
Wheels:
As mentioned above the Easton Vistas are really good, durable wheels and definitely look great on the bike. They are transmit power well and stay true. I just like the feel of a wheel with 32 butted spokes and I am not sure that there is much of a aerodynamic penalty. Weight wise the Open Pro’s are about the same weight as the Vistas (a bit lighter actually but not enough to matter). Neither are real race wheels. Next year I would like to get a set of Hed Alps. A nice thing about the Soloist is that it leaves some cash to consider something like a set of Heds.
Tires:
The Diamante Pro Lites are curious spec choice in my opinion. They are really light. I imagine that they are quite expensive even at wholesale cost. I am surprised that Cervelo did not pick something a little more mainstream in terms of weight and cost. I haven’t had a single flat on them so I am generally happy. After about 500km they started getting a lot of deep nicks in the rubber. Nothing too big so far but I am not sure how much more they will take. They have a high thread count carcass so I imaging that they will be ridable despite a lot of nicks. As soon as I start getting a lot of flats they will be swapped out for something with a bit more rubber like Vittoria Rubino Pros. As for ride, it might be just in my head but they feel delicate and I don’t push them as hard as my Vredestein Fortezza’s. Also I am not sure why they say 130psi minimum. I usually ride 110-120 psi. I think 130–160 psi just increases the wear rate on the tire. Nothing bad has happened at 120 so I keep breaking the rules. Feels sort of like removing the ‘do not remove’ labels off of a pillow. What a rebel.
Drive Train
I have no complaints about the Centaur stuff. Everything has been perfect. I don’t think I have had a miss shift. I really like being about to shift the front and rear at the same time by just pushing both thumbs. Chorus would have been nice but I doubt I would notice anything different except the carbon levers. Campagnolo make great road groupos. Ultegra (esp 10 speed Ultegra) and Dura-ace are flawless too but given the choice Campy stuff is just cooler.
The FSA Gossamer crank is a little uninspired. I would have liked to go for a carbon unit but that’s life. Unfortunately it is an expensive thing to upgrade without a lot of benefit. Although the new designs with external bearings make a lot of sense. I often wonder if a compact crank with a 11-23 would be better.
The Bottom Bracket Mystery:
The BB is a weird story. After 800km it gave up the ghost and started making a clunking noise with every stroke on the pedals. When I took it to my LBS they said they have had a lot of problems with Truvativ BB which was odd because I thought it was spec’d with an FSA unit. I guess it was one of those “spec’s can change without notice” things that happens when a bike company runs out of parts. The shop put a Raceface one in so I hope that lasts more than 800km. Maybe I am just too darn strong.
Saddle
1000km on the Cervelo version of SLR-T1 and I still find it a bit hard after 60kms. It is a good quality saddle and very light. The jury is still out. I did an Olympic Triathlon in my tri-shorts without any problems. I want to try it in an aero position before giving up. I have a Flite Trans Am on my other bike and I am tempted to swap. Maybe next year.
Handlebar / Stem:
3T’s ‘The’ bar is a really good shape for use with Campy ergo shifters. It is heavy though (310g). I might change to a 3TTT Less 199 (200g) for $95 one day although I really don’t have any weight complaints about the bike as a whole. Also, the heavier bars might handle clip-on aerobars better.
Seatpost
I have the Aluminum one that rotates to put the saddle in a 76 degree position for an aero setup. I have only used it in the 73 degree position but so far so good. It is quite heavy though (385g?) and there a lot of parts to allow it to rotate. Some people have complained about noise. My only issue has been the main bolt that holds the head in place loosening. It is a weird feeling having your saddle rotate with every stroke. Maybe that would be a good way to improve pedaling efficiency.
I would like to get the fixed position carbon post that Cervelo has in the works if it is not too expensive. I fear it might be. The Carbon “two position” seatpost is $200cdn. I am hoping the fixed one will be less. Yeah right.
After a thousand or more km’s on it here is the Bottom line: Great bike, Great company, great price, looks cool, ditch the stock brakes, whether you dream about riding the grand tour or a sub-10 at Kona this bike will take you there (in your dreams at least)